News Round Up

A quick round-up of some news stories in case you missed out on them.

Photograph by Jimsin Vogel.

First is the story of the Olympic Torch being carried by Granite City Roller Girl,Carolyn Mackenzie at the Aberdeen Voice.An intriguing “by the people for the people” community news site for Aberdeen and the North East.The article also features photography by Dave McAleavy

The Sunday Herald ran a 6 page fashion piece ,written by Susan Swarbrick, on Roller Derby chic,featuring four members of Team Scotland,Viper,Marla Mayhem,Alma Geddon and Danger Mouth.Sadly,permission to use a photograph from the shoot could not be obtained in time.

Image courtesy of Glasgow Roller Derby

Glasgow Roller Derby graduated from the Apprentice Program to become a full member of the WFTDA.Two other UK leagues also join GRD in gaining full member status,Windsor Roller Girls and the Lincolnshire Bombers,bringing the total number of full member leagues in the UK to six.Congratulations all round.

Team Scotland vs Team Steve and GlasARRG

Image courtesy of Team Scotland,original photograph by Dave McAleavy

Glasgow Roller Derby presents Team Scotland in a double header bout on the 17th of March at Kelvin Hall Sports Arena,Argyle Street,Glasgow.
Doors open at midday and entry is £8 on the day or £7 in advance.
Team Scotland will face a long awaited return match with Team Steve/The Best Of The Rest and against GlasArrg.. unsurprisingly, a team made up from members of of Glasgow Roller Derby and Auld Reekie Roller Girls.

An Interview With Lily Lethal

Photograph by Dave McAleavy

The Scottish Roller Derby blog presents an interview with one of Team Scotland’s Co-Captains,Lily Lethal of Glasgow Roller Derby

How does it feel to have been chosen as Co Captain of your national squad at the first Roller Derby World Cup?

Being selected to play for my National team was really enough of a personal achievement to be honest. If I hadn’t been selected as co Captain then that would have been fine,but I didn’t take the role on half heartedly. When Crazylegs from Auld Reekie was up for the other Co Captain position, it kind of put me at ease. Despite being in different leagues, we know each other well and my previous experiences with her have always been positive ones.

What are your World Cup highlights,both personally and for the team?

I suppose on of the highlights for the team was beating Argentina and Brazil in the same day! Knuckles our bench manager said, “now that wouldn’t ever happen in football”. The team relished the chance to play against most of our Derby heroes in Team America and skating past and seeing Scotch Corner and all our fans that had travelled was fantastic support. The free lasagna and tampons were great too! as was the general atmosphere.

Do you think that the team’s performance reflects the 11th place position?

I think, that in true Scottish style, we got a difficult first group. The teams were seeded on point differential so unfortunately that put us with Australia in our first seeded bout. They ended up being fourth overall, it was a difficult game and it was our third of the day. If we had been selected in a different group, things may have been different but we were happy with 11th Place. I think New Zealand came 8th and they only beat us by 13 points.

How difficult was it for you and your Co-Captain,Crazylegs,to select teams for the opponents you faced during the World Cup?

Team selection was hard. it’s hard enough having to do it once or twice a month but 6 times in 36 hours! In between that we had to deliver both disappointing and good news to our skaters with regards to whether they were skating or not. It’s human nature to be disappointed with non-selection for whatever reason but in this instance, you didn’t really have time to dwell or get over it! Then, we had line ups to write and strategy to discuss…it was a relentless week of hard work, but we both came away from this experience knowing that we did pick the right teams for the bouts we played. In future events like this, i would probably consider only taking 16 skaters instead of the 20.

Was being Co-Captain what you expected?..and will you put yourself up for re-election when the time comes?

I don’t think that being Captain was exactly what i expected. It was hard work and i don’t think that i would put myself up for reselection. I think it’s a role that needs to be taken up by someone with a lot of Captaining and Derby life experience.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing,is there anything more Team Scotland could have done to prepare for the World Cup?

This job would have been easier if the team had the time for more practices and bouts together. This is why i feel the team should reselect skaters and Captains as soon as our term is over in march and regularly practice. To be a good Captain, i think you need a lot of respect and trust from your team it’s hard to get that when you skate for a different league and are usually seen as the opposition. This needs to be worked on regularly and practice is the only way to do it.

What did you take from your own experience of the World Cup to improve as a skater and what lessons can be learned for the team as a whole?

We all came back with our own individual goals on how we can improve ourselves and this no doubt will be passed on to our individual leagues. Roller Derby is progressing at such a fast rate that things are changing constantly and you have to be in the loop .You have to constantly evolve or you get left behind.

With the European Cup cancelled, are there any other international bouting plans?

Team Scotland had hoped to play Team Ireland in March but it doesn’t look like this is happening now. I don’t know if any other national teams are free on the 17th March? but with the Euro cup cancelled, there are no plans at yet.

Glasgow Roller Girls have a busy season with upcoming bouts against Berlin,Stockholm and Paris.What else are the Glasgow Roller Girls up to this year?

And as for Glasgow Roller Derby as we are now known……well….watch this space!
We have a BIG year ahead of us! changes all round. We as a league are heavily focused on being a constantly evolving sport! The correct image that allows us to be taken seriously as athletes is so important! We have gone through a rough patch and lost and gained some fantastic skaters. It takes time to gel as a team and this is now happening at an alarming rate! Glasgow Roller Derby are going to be a force to be reckoned with this year! We hope that our European Games will help to spread the word and with our own tournament taking place in August, it would be the icing on the cake for us to come out top and with our full WFTDA membership around the corner?…
Onwards and upwards….

An Interview with Tarce

Tarce in action at the Roller Derby World Cup in December - photo courtesy of Dave McAleavy

The skaters always seem to be the stars of the Roller Derby show, but realistically, a live bout would dissolve into chaos if we didn’t have Team Line Up Managers, Bench Managers and Non-Skating Officials (NSOs).

Tarce, a skater with Glasgow Roller Girls, unexpectedly found herself positioned as Line-Up Manager for Team Scotland only a few weeks before the World Cup kicked off! The person in this role is a vital part of any team as they take the time to understand each skater’s strengths and weaknesses, and can make clear decisions on which skaters will play together per jam, and how to recover when players are sent to the penalty box.

We catch up with Tarce to hear how she found the World Cup experience and just what the job entails.

How did you become involved with Roller Derby?

It was back in February 2010 when I got a message about the Glasgow Film Festival on Facebook. The message also contained a part about a roller derby bout that Saturday between Glasgow Roller Girls and London Rockin’ Rollers. Now I’d never heard of roller derby before but something about women on skates possibly hitting each other somehow drew my interest! I decided to go along by myself to check it out and as soon as I entered the room I knew I was in the right place for me! So this was where the cool people hung out!

I went along to the after party too and got talking to one of the refs (who I’d met before through our mutual tattooist) and him and his lovely wife talked me into coming along to the next newbie intake, which just happened to be that same Tuesday! I also remember talking to a rather drunk Marla Mayhem of GRG and the Fabulous Mighty Mighty Bash of LRR and thinking these were women I could definitely get along with.

I plucked up the courage to go along to newbies that very Tuesday and managed not to break anything or embarrass myself too much .. and I’ve been hooked ever since!

How did you get involved in Line-Up in general, and what made you sign-up for the World Cup?

Haha now here comes the funny part! When I did the line up managing for Team Scotland’s first game against New Zealand at the World Cup, that only the second time I had ever done it! To say I was slightly nervous would be a small understatement; I’d much rather have been skating at that point that much I knew!

Back in February last year, Viper, our head of league training at GRG at the time, was in the first stages of trying to organise a national team for Scotland and she was desperate for people to help out. To play to my strengths, I volunteered to administer the Team Scotland forum as I sit in front of a computer all day at work and I’d done that sort of thing before anyway.

To cut a long story short, before I knew it I was Chairperson of Team Scotland and I was off to Toronto in a few weeks! It was at that late stage that the person we had in the role told us that due to family commitments she would be unable to attend theWorld Cup. My one previous time doing line-ups (TS vs Northern Allstars) had filled the captains with enough confidence that they asked me to do it again for Team Scotland – the crazy fools! Well, I was going to be there anyway and I knew all the skaters, whats the worst that could happen?!

What makes a good Line-Up Manager?

Well you definitely need to remain calm and focussed in the eye of the storm! Exuding an air of confidence and that you know what you’re doing are very important too (even if you are actually bricking it inside!). You have to make instant decisions and stick to them. Stay focussed on whats happening on track and in the penalty bin and listen to what the bench manager is shouting at you too. You have to be able to be firm with the skaters as well as they will either be giving you puppy dog eyes to go on next, moaning that they want to go on with their best buddy or crying cos they ain’t getting played enough! It’s a tough job! You’ve also got to keep an eye on them, especially the jammers, to see how tired they are and if they maybe need to sit off for a couple to get their breath back. Its definitely not a job to take on if you want to get a good view of the bout, that’s for sure!

How did you prepare for the World Cup?

When I realised that I was going to be the one doing the job, I made sure I went along to all the training sessions and watched and got to know all the skaters that weren’t from my own league. I needed to familiarise myself with the roles they played when skating; who only blocked, who would jam and block, who was confident pivoting, etc. I’d have liked to have been able to perform the role at more bouts or even scrimmage sessions but unfortunately there just wasn’t the time.

I also spoke to Knuckles, our bench manager and got as much information and tips from him as possible. He does an amazing job and it was great working with him.

Has the experience changed how you would manage Line-Up in future?

I don’t want to do it ever again! Haha. Seriously though, I did gain a lot of confidence in the role by being thrown in at the deep end; it is full on and it is stressful but at the end of the day as long as you get enough skaters on track you’ve done your job! Lol. If I do it again in future I wont worry so much about trying to stick to the written line-ups provided by the captains; after that first person goes to the penalty bin you can basically throw them out the window. Just stick to the general ethos in your head of what they want and just go with what feels and looks right to you at the time. I think trying to work to that bit of paper definitely made things more stressful. So I guess the lesson to learn is: know your skaters well, know their strengths and weaknesses and know the tactics that the captains are playing to.

What do you think the World Cup has done for Roller Derby in Scotland?

It’s really given skaters new enthusiasm and motivation! Something new to aim for; who wouldn’t want to make it on to their country’s national team! We showed this year that Scotland is definitely a force to be reckoned with and basically anything is possible for us. Roller derby is going to keep on growing exponentially from here, its going to be huge and Scotland has a chance to be a big name in the sport. We have some amazing new skaters coming through who have a real hunger to do well. I see great things ahead for us! This first World Cup for a bit of an experiment really but it totally worked! I cannot wait to see what the next one will look like… it’s going to be immense! Watch out USA, Scotland is coming for you!

Do you have any advice for anyone considering becoming a Line-Up Manager for their local league?

All those non-skating roles are vitally important to the sport as a whole; if we didn’t have people to fill bench and NSO roles then we couldn’t play, simple as! All leagues need those people that are dedicated to the sport and want to do their bit even if it doesn’t involve skating. And the skaters are hugely thankful that they come along and do what they do.

Come along as often as you can for scrimmage sessions especially. Get to know everyone and feel part of the team. Know the rules inside and out and watch as much roller derby as you can – just like being a skater really! Practice makes perfect, the more you do it the more confident you will get. I don’t think there are any big secrets to it, it’s just about being level headed, sensible and logical really. And if the skaters know they can rely on you they will love you forever!

Roller Derby World Cup 2011-Photography Round Up

Just in case you haven’t quite had your fill of World Cup pictures,here is a round up of some of the best.

Kicking off with the official Team Scotland photographer,Dave McAleavy
As you might expect,lots of shots of Team Scotland in action and all of the superb quality that marks all Dave’s work.

Sean Murphy is head photographer for the Renegade Derby Dames,Alliston,Ontario and has an impressive array of galleries,covering not only the World Cup,but also a range of bouts that feature some of the top names in American and Canadian Roller Derby.It’s a superb site and he has a great beard!

Jason Ruffell has some excellent World Cup work on show,including some of Team Scotland and Team England.Plus an archive of top English bouts that goes back to 2009.

Greg Russell has some amazing work,split into days rather than bouts.

Colorado based Wicked Shamrock Photography has a lot of quality work covering Team Ireland,click,’Roller Derby’ then ‘Special Events’

Team Finland photographer Marko Niemelä has an excellent gallery on his national team.

Please note:All images on these sites are the property of their respective photographers,permission must be obtained before reproducing these images.

An interview with Crazylegs.

All the skaters in Team Scotland are important, of course, but Co-Captains Lily Lethal and Crazylegs were responsible for leading the rest to victory in Toronto. We caught up with Crazylegs to talk about the challenges of competing in the world’s first international Roller Derby World Cup, and of the future for Team Scotland.

Crazylegs showing Team USA's Shenita Stretcher who's boss. (Photo by Dave McAleavy. boutday.com)

Although we’ve talked about this before the World Cup, it’s worth revisiting now: how did you prepare for the world’s first international Roller Derby competition?

I went to as many training sessions as physically possible – both with my league (the Auld Reekie Roller Girls) and with Team Scotland, and sometimes with the lovely GRG.  I also did a more intense off skates cross training regime to get fitter to be able to handle more than one game per day.  I had no idea what kind of intensity to expect or how many games we would be faced with in Toronto.  Team Scotland organised as many practice dates together as we possibly could in the lead up to the Tournament, we had an advantage in being geographically close with our team mates, but because of other commitments – individual league bouts and practices to plan around, we didn’t manage to hold as many as we would have wanted.We also did some research on the teams/skaters who were listed to take part in the World Cup – stalking if you like, and tried to keep a lot of our focus on bringing Scotland onto the world stage for derby in a good light.

In pretty much all of your bouts, Team Scotland did better in the second period; in fact, you only lost the second period against Team USA and Team Australia (which isn’t bad company to be in).

Team England shared a similar property of having a sudden revival after their initial start, thanks to Ballistic Whistle calling a time-out and restrategising; is Team Scotland’s approach similar, or does Knuckles just incredibly inspirational in his half-time speeches?

It’s interesting to note this trend for second period come backs!  In a tournament situation, it’s almost certainly linked in some part to the warm up and preparation – we had less time generally to warm up and get our heads into the game than in a usual bout situation, something we’ve learned from and will certainly plan for next time. In my mind the Germany game stood out as the most significant in terms of performance difference per half and this was due to a distinct tactical change we made in our game at half time.  In saying that, Knuckles always does give a good half time booster chat – in fact he’s possibly the most positive and encouraging person I have ever met!

While meeting all of the national teams was obviously a major part of the tournament, everyone really wanted to lose to the USA. How did it feel playing the best roller derby players in the world?

How long did it take to switch from being star-struck to trying to hip-check Suzy Hotrod?

The USA game was all about the enjoyment and learning from madly talented skaters. We had a goal to minimise the amount of points they scored which is hilarious to think of now.  I was really focussed on the game, so no time to be star struck.  It’s all a bit of a blur with random faces you know appearing and you think ‘oh God that’s Bonnie Thunders sailing past me!’  I had no idea I had knocked Suzy Hotrod over until I saw my Facebook page that night.  It was amazing the amount of sheer control they had over us – it was like they were playing in slow motion Matrix style and we were just madly reacting to everything and keeping going like duracell bunnies.  I have never expended so much energy in a bout before – I loved how our skaters kept getting back up and never gave up pushing, all with huge grins on faces.   I did notice Sexy Slaydie’s rear end holding me back on more than one occasion though, and after the game blurted out ‘I love you’ to her, like a geek.

Crazylegs and that check against Suzy Hotrod!

Team Scotland ended up placing 11th in the rankings. How do you feel that ranking reflects the team’s performance?

I’m happy with 11,  It’s my fave number!   In truth – I am very proud of the whole team for playing with such heart, and our management team for organising us so well.  I think unless we’re looking at first, second, third or fourth place – which we will be for next time – it really doesn’t matter too much where you come.  We got to play some of the best teams from places furthest away from Scotland and I’m pleased about that. We have all come back with so much new knowledge and of course there are some key area’s I would like us to focus on for any future TS endeavours, but I’ll be keeping that to myself for now!

Going on from the World Cup, clearly you will have picked up lots of contacts and tips from the rest of the international roller derby players present, in addition to getting a better feel for how Team Scotland plays. What do you think Team Scotland will be working in before their next appearance; and what tips did you pick up from the rest of roller derby?

Being Co-Captain meant my time between bouts was focussed on the next bout, helping to re-write line ups, team rosters and making sure the team were happy and the occasional power nap/toilet dash! I didn’t get as much chance to ‘internationally network’ as I would have liked to; but I did get a chance to catch up with some familiar faces from past bouts, which was lovely.   We were given some great advice from the TORD coach, and I know a lot of our skaters did manage to get some good advice/chats and bonding in, so we’ll be making sure we utilise everything we can in building an improved team for future games/tourneys. One area is of course more integration and practice between skaters from the different leagues involved and being fast to adapt our strategy when required.

It’s not much of a secret that at least some of Team Scotland are already thinking about further bouts against national teams post-World Cup, especially since you didn’t get to play all of the European teams during the tournament itself. Do you have any particular team you’d like to play that you missed during the Cup?

As it happens, there is already some secret squirrel planning underway looking at future bouts, so hopefully something will be arranged.  I would jump at the chance to play any of the teams we didn’t manage to play against.  Ireland looked really good and would be an interesting match up I think, and I really wanted a chance to play against Sweden…but then France did so well too…oh so many to choose from. Hopefully we can play them all one by one.

Being from there originally, would you have tried out for a Team Wales if one had existed in time for the World Cup?

(Now you’re wedded to Team Scotland by the team selection rules, how would you feel about a Team Wales participating in the next World Cup?)

A good question! It would have been a difficult decision, but ultimately I skate for a Scottish league and my home is here now – so even though my immediate family are still mostly based in Wales I would have had to choose Scotland (sorry mum).  I’ve so much respect for skaters that I’ve played with and against from Scottish leagues and geographically it makes more sense for me to be involved with planning, practices and bouts for Scottish Roller Derby. It was a real shame that Wales was not able to represent this time – I know there are some amazing skaters emerging in Wales already, and I would be so excited to see a Welsh team in future tournaments.  I would definitely be their biggest supporter!

And, in the medium term for Team Scotland, what would you like to see happening? There’s been talk of a European Cup in the next year or two, for example, or just more international bouts in general?

A European Cup would be awesome in the interim – the more time we can spend playing with the best skaters from countries outside of Scotland, the faster we will learn, improve and hopefully close the gap between us and the USA!

Finally, how do you feel about the next World Cup, in two or three years? Will you be trying out for the national team again?

Well I’m no ‘spring chicken’ at 38, but I do think that with careful training and looking after myself, I have a few good derby years in me yet! I’d love to be able to try out for another World Cup or European Tournament; it was the best experience ever, hands down.  But in saying that, there are so many talented new skaters springing up all over Scotland, that it may be time for some new blood take my place? I’ll definitely fight them for it though ha-ha.

An Interview with Wild Oates

The first-ever Roller Derby World Cup may be over, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped talking about it!

Team Scotland secured a very respectable 11th seed, and made a great impression on the other teams and commentators alike. One of the most-talked about Scottish skaters was Wild Oates, from Glasgow Roller Girls, who gained quite a reputation for scoring Team Scotland’s only point against the favourites, Team USA. She was even rewarded with a custom designed t-shirt from their star jammer, Juke Boxx! We catch up with Wild Oates on her return from Toronto to ask, “How was it for you?”

First of all, huge congratulations on your performance in the World Cup! It was great to see the support for Team Scotland from fans back home, but what was the support like over in Toronto?

We had a little group of fans that came and showed support during each bout we played and that was seriously awesome. We also ran out of merchandise to sell on one of the days. Those Team Scotland T-shirts proved to be quite popular so we may have gained a couple of new fans during the weekend!

How did you and the team react when you found out that you’d be up against Team USA in your second bout?

I was watching the live draw on DNN when it was picked and I actually screamed when I realised we would be getting the chance to play either Canada or USA in the first bouts. I may have done a little dance around the sofa when it finished and I knew we were up against New Zealand and USA. Then of course anxiety set in as there are 20 skaters on the team but only 14 can picked for each roster. I think the Captains had a really hard time deciding who would play in each game. I know they wanted to go in all guns blazing against New Zealand to ensure we got a good position in the initial seeding. The USA game was more of an opportunity to play against derby royalty. I don’t think anyone had any misconceptions that we were going to come out on top against their line up. However, it was all very exciting to get to be a part of it.

Once the group line-ups were revealed, how did you prepare for the challenge ahead? It must have been tough knowing that you’d be playing your first two bouts within a couple of hours of each other!

Well, a few of us only landed in Toronto an hour before Team Scotland’s scheduled training time the day before our first bouts. It was a case of getting up at 5am in Glasgow, jumping on a seven hour flight, landing in Toronto and getting in a hire car to the venue before strapping my skates on for a two hour practice. Panic did start to creep in as the tiredness didn’t make for particularly good balance and agility! I had planned to stay at The Bunker to watch the Team USA vs Team USA but had to make the decision to go back to the apartment to try and get some rest before the next day, which in the end was the best idea as by about 8pm I was close to tears I was so tired.

The first two bouts we played the following day were only 20 min periods so shouldn’t have been as physically taxing as we would normally be used to. Getting knocked about by the amazing blockers of Team NZ and Team USA was quite gruelling though. When we then found out we’d be playing Australia later on and it was their first bout of the day, we were a little concerned we may not have as much reserve energy as they might do coming into the bout fresh. I think we all just tried to stay hydrated and make sure we ate something sensible in between bouts. Some of us even managed to have a nap in the skater’s area but I was too nervous for that.

What was it like skating with the tournament favourites, Team USA, and then getting presented with a custom-made t-shirt from them?

Well, before the bout I was speaking to one of the skaters from New Zealand and they had likened blocking against Team USA to “trying to hit very fast moving refrigerators”. I think that’s a pretty good description. Those skaters have cores of steel and it’s impossible to move them! Even holding one of their jammers back for a second felt like a huge achievement, as they ran round us scoring at least 30 points each jam – ha ha! At one point Deranged turned to block me backwards and I tried to run at her chest to no avail, she may even have smiled at my attempts to budge her. But hey, once you’ve played against skaters like that, you are never going to worry about being hit by anyone again as you’ve been hit by the best!

The lovely Juke Boxx made my t-shirt as she had seen my rambling DNN interview. Our bench manager Knuckles found me, said he had a surprise for me and I had to follow him. I was convinced it was a hilarious cunning plan to get me back working on the Team Scotland merch stall but instead he led me to Juke Boxx and Disco who presented me with the shirt and took my photo. Disco customized it, Juke wrote my name and Fisticuffs mum wrote the script underneath. I kind of want to wear it everyday then get buried in it but I’m worried if I put it anywhere near a washing machine I’ll ruin it, so currently it’s hanging up in my bedroom as an amazing souvenir of an awesome weekend.

What was your most memorable experience of the tournament?

Possibly when my girlfriend Jen came out with a birthday cake at the end of our final game against Brazil and the team sang Happy Birthday to me, I ended up bursting out into tears. There were loads of memorable moments on track. Lawless getting that 30 point power jam in our first game was a pretty big one. Marla being awarded MVP was another. Thank goodness Dave McAleavy was with us to capture them all on film for us!

You skated alongside some extremely talented skaters – did you pick up any top tips from them, or strategy plans that you’re keen to try out back in Glasgow?

I think everyone probably took something different away from their experience. I was already aware of my need to improve my posture and stride and getting put on to jam a few times during the weekend really hammered home the importance of me improving these as I just wasn’t anywhere near as quick as the other jammers once I was out of the pack. Also Team USA hit you really effectively, just in the right spot to buckle your knees from under you – learning to do that would be pretty useful!

There have already been rumours of a European Cup – if this materialises, would you try out for Team Scotland again?

Definitely! Any chance to play more derby will see me trying out for the team. It would be great to play against more of the European Teams as Germany was the only one we had the chance to at the World Cup.

Are there any plans to catch-up with skaters from the international teams sometime soon? I bet you met lots of people that you’ll want to stay in touch with!

Well, they all have an open invitation to come and stay in Glasgow whenever they like! I’m a bit socially awkward at the best of times so wasn’t particularly great at walking up to amazing skaters and striking up conversation, but luckily for the socially inept like myself there is Facebook so I can stay updated if there are any meet-ups arranged. My league, Glasgow Roller Girls, are playing some European teams (Berlin,Paris,Malmo) this year so hopefully I’ll be seeing a few familiar faces.

What about your Team Scotland teammates? Can we expect a reunion and a challenge for ‘the best of the rest’ of Scotland’s roller derby players?

I think there are hopefully going to be more bouts on home ground for Team Scotland, the team stays fixed until March and then there is another selection so I’m sure the current Captains are keen to organise some bouts before then. There was talk of organising regular training sessions which I am excited about.

What advice would you give to skaters who want to try out for the next international roller derby tournament, whenever that may be?

Even if you don’t think you’ll get on the team, try-out anyway and play your heart out, you might surprise yourself. I had pretty much decided there was no way I would be selected for the team but saw the try-outs as an extra opportunity to skate with girls I hadn’t trained with before and perhaps learn something new. I was totally over the moon when I got the call to say I’d made it on the roster.

Team Scotland Vs The Northern Allstars-16/10/11

Team Scotland present the second of their warm up bouts in preparation for the Roller Derby World Cup later in the year.The action takes place at Meadowbank Sports Centre,London Road,Edinburgh,Sunday the 16th of October.Doors open at 2pm,entry is £6 and under 14′s go free.
This time around the opponents are The Northern Allstars,made up of some of the top skaters from leagues across the north of England.
The skaters on the Allstars roster are..
Roxy Rascal,Dynamite Stix,Rocky Ell Boa and Modest Moose from Middlesborough Milk Rollers
Mooks,Manc Zappa,Sui-cider and Vic Tori Bee from Manchester Arcadians
Brie Larceny,Bettie BasHer,Miss Wired and Marie Bayonet from Newcastle Roller Girls
Marianne Faithkill and Rio De Jam Hero from Sheffield Steel Roller Girls
Wheelie Coyote and Madame Whipcrash from Wakey Wheeled Cats

Image courtesy of Team Scotland Roller Derby,original photograph by Dave McAleavy

Team Scotland Bootcamp

Team Scotland will be running a fundraising bootcamp at The Arc,Cowcaddens Road,Glasgow on Saturday the 1st of October.This session is for travel team skaters only,cost is £10 per head and will run between 12-4pm.
The camp will be led by Sonic Doom,coach of the Toronto Roller Derby travel team and will feature two hours of advanced offensive practice,followed by 90 minutes of scrimmage.
This is a superb chance to learn from the coach of the league that will host the upcoming Roller Derby World Cup,so get your name down quick as this event is likely to fill up soon.
If you are interested in attending,get in contact with Team Scotland via their Facebook or via the Team Scotland website.

Bout Report-Team Scotland Vs The Best Of The Rest 10/9/11

Team Scotland played The Best Of The Rest,or “Team Steve” as they were dubbed on the day, at The Arc in Glasgow as part of their fundraising efforts to get the team to the first ever Roller Derby World Cup.
You can read an excellent review ,peruse the pictures or watch the video footage and marvel at the sheer volume of the fans.

Many thanks to Aoanla for the work he puts in doing these reviews,the featured pic is also by him,from his blog Ante Ortus A Novus Ars